Stop Use Of Carbon Monoxide Gas Chambers For Euthanasia In Shelters

I recently learned that there are shelters that still use CO chambers to euthanize animals.  There are three shelters in my home state of Kansas which still use these chambers including the Emporia, Burlington and Liberal, Kansas shelters.  The use of these gas shelters is inhumane, dangerous to staff and more expensive than the use of injectable euthanasia drugs.

The Humane Society of the United States, the American Veterinary Medical Association, the Association of Shelter Veterinarians and all other national organizations agree that direct injection of approved euthanasia drugs, by which the animal quickly loses consciousness without experiencing pain or distress, is the most humane method of euthanasia currently available.  Other methods, like use of CO chambers can virtually never provide a stress and pain free death.

HUMANE?  NO!
CO chambers cannot provide humane euthanasia for shelter populations.  Often the animals euthanized in shelters are old, young, ill or injured.  These animals may suffer from medical conditions that delay the effects of CO, causing them to experience distress prior to unconsciousness.  Young animals and small mammal species such as rabbits and guinea pigs of all ages are resistant to hypoxia, making the use of inhalants such as CO ineffective.  Even healthy dogs and cats suffer stress from being placed in the dark, unfamiliar environment of a gas chamber and may become panicked by the sights, sounds and smells of the equipment and the presence of other animals.  For these reasons, CO chambers cannot be relied upon to consistently provide a humane euthanasia for shelter animals and their use cannot be condoned.  

SAFER?  NO!
A common fallacy is that the use of CO chambers is safer for staff members than euthanasia by injections because it avoids direct handling of animals and is more palatable than directly administering a fatal drug.  In fact, the opposite is true as the use of CO chambers actually poses greater physical and psychological harm to staff.  Staff must still handle, transport and place fractious and fearful animals into othe CO chamber.  Even otherwise friendly animals may react adversely when forced into a small, dark, confined space like a gas chamber.  Shelter staff report that their stress is greater when using a chamber than that associated with euthanizing by injection.  In addition, caretakers have been injured and killed by carbon monoxide.

LESS EXPENSIVE?  NO!
A CO chamber must be commercially manufactured and properly equipped and maintained or its operation will be painful and inhumane even for healthy adult dogs and cats.  Studies have proven that it is actually more expensive to operate a CO chamber within the strict operational parameters required than to purchase and use approved euthanasia drugs.

NECESSARY?  NO!
To date, 19 states (AL, AZ, AR, CA, DE, FL, GA, IL, LA, ME, MD, NJ, NM, NY, OR, RI, TN, VA and WV) have already banned gas chambers.  In 15 other states (AK, CO, IN, KY, MI, NE, NC, NV, OH, OK, SC, TX, VT, WA and WY) the gas chamber is not banned outright, but shelters have the legal authority to acquire and use euthanasia drugs (referred to as "direct licensing"), so eliminating their chambers is a shelter policy choice.  In the remaining 16 states, including my home state of Kansas, shelters have no authority to acquire euthanasia drugs directly and must rely on the cooperation of a local veterinarian to provide the drugs.  

For the reasons cited above, when euthanasia must be performed in a shelter setting, euthanasia by injection is the only acceptable humane method.  In states where shelters have the ability to acquire euthanasia drugs directly, all shelters using a CO chamber should convert to euthanasia by injection immediately.  Where direct licensing is not yet available, the Humane Society of the United States will partner with the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association in an effort to help shelters secure access to euthanasia drugs until a direct licensing measure is passed.  The Humane Society of the United States will provide necessary training and assistance to any shelter committed to converting from use of a CO chamber to use of injections.

Please sign this petition if you agree that the use of CO chambers should be eliminated.